Newbie here!
I am an 18 year old girl and I'm tired of being fat, I want to lose weight and more importantly keep it off.

I've never tried anything like this before and I'm a bit lost because I've been reading a lot of different opinions on the best way to lose weight and I'm
So, I'd love to hear about your tips and methods that worked for you guys and I
Hope to find a weight loss buddy too! ( I'm awful at finishing things haha)

Welcome Starry!
The best plan is the one that you can live with long term. Many of us take the view that this is not just a diet but a lifestyle change that we need to continue for the rest of our lives to be fit and healthy. Start by filling out your Fitday profile, if you haven't already, and setting a weight goal. That will help you with how much of a deficit you need to achieve daily to meet your goal. A pound of weight equates to roughly 3500 calories so if you eat 500 calories less per day then your body burns you will lose about 1 pound per week (500 x 7 days = 3500). If you have a calorie deficit of 1000 per day you will lose about 2 pounds per week (1000 x 7 = 7000).

When you achieve a calorie deficit your body will use your fat stores to make up the deficit but it will also convert some of your muscle. Since muscle fuels your metabolism the more you can maintain the better. You want more fat to be converted and minimal muscle. If you diet without exercise up to 75% of your weight loss could actually come from muscle and not fat. That is why I am a big proponent of weight/resistance training for men and especially women along with cardio workouts. There are lots of ways to work your muscles without steel weights or joining a gym like Body weight exercises and resistance bands.

Depending on your current physical condition just walking can be a great starter exercise. The point is to be more active and control your calories through smarter choices and portion control. Let us know if you have more questions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this Ron, I appreciate it

My fitday profile is more or less filled out now.
I've thought about strength training but I am (foolishly) a little intimidated by the men in the weights area at my local gym so I might buy a set of dumbbells or something.

Walking sounds like a great idea-do you think 3 miles a day is a good starting point or perhaps too over ambitious?

As for my diet I'm going to miss my comfort foods haha , but I want to be one of those 'eat to live' people so my emotional eating has got to stop.

Alia,
Since I don't know your current physical condition, you will need to be the judge of where a good starting point is for you. Just start slow, you can always increase tomorrow till you reach the point you are pushing yourself. There is a program you can google called 'Couch to 5K' that several others here have had good success with if you are in need of a proven plan.

I always admire the women at my gym who are lifting because I know it can be intimidating. If you do belong to a gym try starting out on the weight machines. They are usually less intimidating and don't be afraid to ask the staff to show you the proper form for each exercise or machine. Thats what they are getting paid for.

If you don't belong to a gym already there are lots of body weight exercises that you can perform too. Bodybuilding.com has a reference library of exercises where you can get more information.

My (now 46#) weight loss was done through healthy diet, controlled calories and exercise. I say I can eat anything I want. I just choose to indulge infrequently and in much smaller quantities than I used to. My food log last week included ice cream and popcorn and small quantities of foods like these help me never feel deprived.